How To Get the Master Sword in ‘Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’

As you prepare to face Calamity Ganon at the end of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you’ll want to have the Master Sword in your arsenal. It’s the most powerful weapon in the game, and as shown in previous Zelda titles, it’s Link’s best asset – apart from Epona of course.

Well, the Master Sword is back for Breath of the Wild and you won’t be able to wield it until late in the game. You’ll actually hear hints of where it’s hidden from various people as you move through Hyrule, but don’t even try to access it until you’ve at least got all the Divine Beasts on your side.

Obviously, this article contains Breath of the Wild spoilers, but here’s how you get the Master Sword in Breath of the Wild.

Where do I find the ‘Breath of the Wild’ Master Sword?

The Master Sword is lying just waiting for you right from the beginning of the game. It’s doing a sword-in-the-stone thing over in the Lost Woods just north of Hyrule Castle. If you’ve played Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the Master Sword’s location won’t come as much of a surprise to you, but for those new to the Zelda series it’s a bit of a recurring thing.

However, you’ll quickly notice that as soon as you enter the Lost Woods, if you stray off the right path you’re quickly engulfed by a thick mist. It’ll immediately transport you back to the last checkpoint, so there’s actually a bit of knack to progressing through the Lost Woods and finding that Master Sword.

How do I get through the Lost Woods?

We're here to help make sure you don't get lost in the Lost Woods

If you want to avoid that horrid fog, you’ll need to be very precise with your movements in the Lost Forest. When you first reach the Lost Woods, you’ll see a church-like ruin in front of you (see above). Head inside and then immediately look for the flaming torch to your right.

From here, just follow the trail of lit torches through the forest until you reach a pair standing in front of a tree with a very creepy face.

You can trust the creepy trees, if you dare

This set of flaming torches is actually a checkpoint and from here there aren’t any more lights to lead you through the mist. Instead, you’re either going to have to trust the trees or the specks of light hanging in the air. Thankfully, if you get taken by the mist, you only have to come back to this point to try again.

One way to make your way to the Breath of the Wild Master Sword is to follow the “arms” of the trees with contorted faces on them. Only some of the trees have faces, so you can move in the direction they “point” to with their branches.

You might feel silly but it pays to pay attention to the dust

However, we found the better option is to listen to the dust. The floating particles you’re surrounded by in the Lost Woods actually direct you, you’ve just got to watch for their changing direction. Basically, just head left from the double torches and then move slowly and move with the dust.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll emerge in the Korok Forest surrounded by the darling little Koroks. But, more importantly, directly in front of you is the Master Sword, poking out of a massive slab of rock.

How many hearts do I need to get the Master Sword?

It's not as easy as giving it the ol' heave ho

Before you get too excited, it’s not just about finding the Master Sword and plucking it from the stone. A bit like the legend of King Arthur, you’ve got to be worthy enough to wield the Master Sword.

In Link’s case, it’s about health and the amount of hearts you have. In order to successfully free the Master Sword, you’ve got to have 13 full hearts – and not those cheat yellow bonus hearts you get from Elixirs and special dinners.

To get yourself some extra hearts, you’ll need to trade in the spirit orbs you get from completing Shrines. It’s four spirit orbs per heart container from the Goddess of Hyrule. She pops up all over the map, but you’ll know her from the Temple of Time back on the Great Plateau.

Once you’ve got the necessary amount of hearts, head back to the Master Sword – via the Shrine fast travel point conveniently located just by the sword – and pull it free.

Is the Master Sword unbreakable?

Link is certainly a fragile thing, but what about the Master Sword?

So there are some things you should know about the Master Sword because it’s not quite as good as you want it to be.

The Master Sword is unbreakable, but it has a cool-down time if you overuse it

If you have full health and throw the Master Sword at enemies, it’ll fire a big blue beam

It glows blue whenever you’re near a powerful enemy such as a boss or Calamity Ganon himself. When it’s glowing like this, it’ll double its power stat from 30 to 60

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Wii U.